A widely used method for supporting building surfaces, such as decks, terraces, plazas, promenades and the like, is to use panels, planks, grating, slabs, or pavers supported by pedestals. Structural deck elements are available in a variety of compositions (such as wood, concrete, stone, plastics, metal, and rubber), colors, and textures. In outdoor applications, the deck elements are typically located above a waterproof membrane as a walking surface. The deck elements are typically elevated above the membrane by pedestals to promote drainage, provide a level structural walk surface, and prevent deterioration of or damage to the deck and water-proofing membrane below.
One type of pedestal used to support the deck elements consists of a number of concentric, interconnected hollow cylinders. During use, the cylinders are first moved relative to one another to yield a desired pedestal height and/or orientation and then filled with concrete. The concrete must set up for the pedestal to be stable. This support method is labor intensive and time consuming and thus costly and does not provide for any method of deck attachment.
Another type of pedestal consists of stacking a number of interlocking plates or layers of different stacking materials of different thicknesses. An appropriate number of plates are stacked to yield the desired height. Interlocking plates are used in some systems and generally consist of layers of molded plastic in various thicknesses. These layers do not easily allow for a full range of height adjustment to produce a level deck surface. Moreover, the stability of such plates decreases as the number of plates increases. These pedestals do not provide for any method of deck attachment.
There is a need for low cost support and method for supporting, leveling, and attaching a deck surface.
There is a further need for a pedestal that is stable, especially when extended to heights up to two feet. There is a related need for a pedestal that, when extended, stable and becomes a structural building element.
There is a further related need for a pedestal that is easily adjustable to a broad range of heights.